Steve Kerr, Mark Jackson & the Warriors’ Known Unknown

Steve Kerr is the next coach of the Golden State Warriors. The immediate response to the news was to label it “shocking” and “stunning” — but it’s only a surprise in the sense that expressing a preference for anything over New York upends certain people’s Ptolemaic worldview. Joe Lacob’s relationship with Steve Kerr has been decades in the making, and Kerr’s name was on the lips of people inside the Warriors’ organization as soon as Jackson hit turbulence in the middle of the 2013-14 season. As for Kerr, the choice of the Warriors over the Knicks certainly had its roots in family matters (his children are in California) and cold hard cash (the Warriors gave Kerr a stunning 5-year, $25 million guaranteed deal). But it also had a lot to do with basketball — and that’s what’s truly surprising. For the first time for as long as I’ve been a fan, the Warriors were a marquee coaching destination. In Kerr, they landed a suitably A-list prospect.

I say “prospect,” because like the announcer that came before him, Kerr hasn’t won anything yet as a coach. But while you can draw a superficial parallel between the routes taken by Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr to the Warriors’ bench, there are some significant differences:

Jackson was hired as both a coaching and personality unknown. He was a double risk, and what the Warriors didn’t know ultimately lead to problems on the court and off it. Kerr may be a basketball unknown, but he’s as vetted as you can imagine on a personality level. Warriors’ president Rick Welts worked with him in Phoenix, Bob Myers sat across the table from him during that time as well, and Joe Lacob’s son Kirk nearly went to work for him. The Warriors know his style, his work habits and his ability to collaborate. That knowledge makes the basketball uncertainty easier to stomach.

In the NBA, like anywhere else, first impressions in job interviews matter. Ekpe Udoh showed up for his Warriors interview in a suit, and then-GM Larry Riley was sold. Kerr met with Lacob and the Warriors’ brass on Tuesday in an Oklahoma City airport and carried with him a thick stack of papers. Those unsolicited basketball musings — compiled on the advice of Jeff Van Gundy, according to Kerr — couldn’t have been more attractive to Warriors management, still reeling from Jackson’s 20-minute playoff practices. Kerr may not have a battle-proven system ready to implement, but he clearly comes armed with a lot of ideas. How quickly he can perfect those ideas into results likely will determine whether his early tenure as Warriors coach is viewed as a success.

But while everyone will be eager to evaluate Kerr’s performance at the earliest possible stage (get ready for hyper-analyzed summer-league and pre-season games), a key difference between Jackson and Kerr is that Kerr has been given a longer period to prove himself. Mark Jackson had a two-year deal, with a team-option for two-more years. While the team tanked his first year, he was under immediate pressure in the second to produce results and spent his third angling for an even longer extension. With Kerr’s 5-year deal, he has a remarkable amount of security and time to grow into the position. The Warriors’ roster may not be as patient — Bogut, Lee and Iguodala are all either at the peak or down-slope of their skills — but the environment in which Kerr will take the clipboard is much more secure than the one in which Jackson bristled.

Considering all of the above, and the revered tones in which Phil Jackson and others speak about Kerr’s basketball mind, his arrival has to be considered an initial success. What makes him a risk is also what makes him so exciting — he’s not an NBA retread or established college coach. He has a basketball lineage that put him in huddles with the best coaching minds of his generation. But he’ll put his own personal spin on what he learned, as he already has promised when addressing questions about whether he’ll institute the famed Phil Jackson/Tex Winters triangle offense. We’ll have to wait to see (and judge) what he does on the sidelines. His coaching career right now is just an empty canvas — but he has some intriguing sketches for what will hopefully become a masterpiece.

Tho Col — still deep in his post-Jax agony — continues to rip the FO: now chiding the Kerr choice as the result of country club golf play between SK and JL.

He’s too smart not to come around on this eventually, but this has been tough on him. Sorta like Adlai Stevenson’s comment, attributed to Lincoln, after his first loss to Ike: he felt ‘ like the young lad who stubs his toe on a rock: he was too old to cry, but he still felt the deep hurt.’

C’mon back, Col. Life’s just too much fun.

strummer

au contraire. it solidifies the reputation of the franchise as a no-nonsense entity, willing to move past a mistake quickly for the better of the organization and its winning ways. accountability from top to bottom is a concept that i am happy to see in any organization.

TechGeezer

Tolbert interviews him at 4:40 today / KNBR

NCDub

Everyone
Is coalminds a new guest…or perhaps a retread…or just a silly nightmare? Everyone’s welcome here…but Geez.

strummer

as long as it remains civil, i don’t mind. i do not see him as a troll if he expands on his points and refutes others’ with basketball points. but i can only go back and forth so much…on any one topic.

Believewhat

I will look into team’s improved play and style of play that is sustainable. # of wins is not it. 51 wins in each season is NOT same either, carry different weightage.

NYCDubFanAtic

NCDub, I may have pre-dated you on this site but I post rarely so you might have missed my earlier “wisdom.” Regardless, we are clearly kindred spirits (Am I correct in thinking that “NC” references a state slightly south of us?) and obviously above average.

In regards your “Knickerbocker” comment, I am actually a NorCal native living in NYC since forever. Raising a son/next gen W’s fan here has been totally worth the occasional hassles. And, as we like to say to our NYC-friends, the only group that sucks worse than the Knicks are the Knicks’ fans. It’s a great ice-breaker of a line.

Tired

Actually, maybe you should observe this blog before you just jump in with these kinds of comments. You don’t know what people think here. You just assume, and we all know what that means.
In the process, everyone here now thinks that you are just a new troll or an old one with a new name. It s all the same to us. You don’t get to skate on these ridiculous comments.
If you want to make a point don’t just throw everything in to try and impress, because that doesn’t work. try some logic and better yet, prove to us you actually know the history here instead of leaving gaping holes in your arguments.
“The last thing you want…” etc.? really? Seriously?

NYCDubFanAtic

Amen!

strummer

i too was a nellie guy. i had my quibbles, as would anyone, but my allegiance did get me in trouble here towards his end. and as with MJ that i also supported, there was indeed a time for him (for both) to go.

Otis

A good hire, but so was Mark Jackson. And there are lots of things about Jackson that I’m hoping Kerr will emulate. First and foremost the confidence he instills in players. He just kept whispering superstar into Klay’s ear so many times the guy started believing he was really good. When he started off shooting poorly Jackson told him to just keep shooting. Then he told him he could be ‘and elite defender’ and Klay believed him. Then it happened. I feel like he whispered similar things into Draymond’s ear, Steph’s ear, and when other coaches would have buried HBarnes on the bench, Jackson kept playing him. So that eventually Barnes started to emerge out of his long slump. What I’m saying is that along with X’s and O’s there’s a coach’s ability to believe in players and get them to believe in themselves. Jackson’s got a unique talent at that. and maybe it’s from his religion, who knows? But how many times after great games did our players talk of how Jackson always believed in them, stood by them, told them something that stuck in their mind and helped them? Don’t diminish how important that has been. I hope Kerr does a little of that along with game planning, and working well with management.

But the issue revolves around the ferocity with which he supported Jax, and vilified Jax’s critics, before Jax got fired. Now he’s on a self-imposed leave of absence.

But he’ll be welcomed back here by all if/when he chooses to return.

SurfCity

I don’t know if he’ll coach summer league or not. It’s usually the realm of assistants. But it would be a good place to develop his coaching chops.

NYCDubFanAtic

“51″ is meaningless on its face…the important number is the one that gets you no worse than the four seed, i.e. home court advantage in the first round. But 51 is a metric that more casual observers will no doubt use as a cudgel.

Zume

Well said Otis. I agree with you and that was the best gift MJ gave to our team – confidence.

jsl165

You’ve survived and thrived post-Nelson, strummer.

strummer

“powerhouse teamwork”
Ws at their best when they move that ball on O and play fundamentally sound rotation D.
cannot wait for summer league and beyond! wonder if they will purchase another second round pick…

Tired

NO big deal, but if this is where he needs to go to hone his coaching chops, we are n trouble. And yes, I know that he supposedly has no coaching chops.

Believewhat

Trolling is not same as dissent. You don’t even have an opinion on any single topic. All you do is twist someone else’s post. BTW, you said no bonafide coach will come to warriors. Well, hottest commodity in the market is here, time to go into hiding because you will never admit you are wrong.

Tired

Keep it up.

earl monroe

ha h aha

earl monroe

is the book red?

Believewhat

Agree most of your post except Barnes(along with other young guys Bazemore, NN and Jordan Crawford) who I think needed more than motivation from coach.

logicpuppy

I see Gary on KRON occasionally, and every time he’s there he seems like an old man barely keeping it together.

darkmark

Agreed, HB needed motivation + an offensive game plan that consisted more than giving him the ball on any smaller player.

Tired

Good one. I happened to see him over on the TK blog when I was checking that ink with Kerr, so he is out there. I have never thought of him as a troll or in any way rude or divisive. Maybe because he is a fellow musician, but in different genres.
Cheers.

NCDub

strummer
I liked ‘em both as well…but for what they accomplished and not what they didn’t.
HOF for Nellie ain’t bad.
And 50 W’s followed by 51 W’s with horrible obstacles ain’t exactly chopped liver.
Let’s all maybe get a grip here. No offense to anyone but I just think that these guys tried hard and overcame–they were good players (Nellie & JAX) but not greats. They accomplished a lot and became winners (notwithstanding Nellie’s horrible foul shot form).
Let’s give ‘em some due respect. Is anyone perfect…especially high pressured sports players & coaches? Surely not except perhaps to unrealistic fanatics.

Tired

He spent too much time with that fool from LA who finally got in trouble. I don’t even remember his name now.
Yes, maybe senility is setting in. He is like the old grandpa who sits in the kitchen and tells everyone what to do.

Son of Ahmed

Good point about persistence. Nice to have a winning vibe on the hardwood in the Bay Area. Fans deserve this, and it’s time to be grateful to the owner.

Play Bol

Road trip?

NCDub

Otis
He just needed a few complementary assistant coaches. Too bad…that’s why I was a JAX-keeper as he successfully climbed his learning curve mountain
I’m proud to have been a JAX keeper & I’m equally proud to be a Kerr liker. I’m not yet though a Kerr lover. (smile)

Gmoney

Nicely said NCDub, I may have to adopt that very stance as my own.

NCDub

surf
Really hope he does, for many reasons.

Tired

Thanks. I was initially wondering why they were bothering, but when I read the story I realized that they had connections there and they wanted to make sure they got their whole list of points across. That was a big time move.

Tired

Exactly. It will be interesting to see what happens now. Bazemore was the lovable, mischievous child and NN may not be athletic enough, so those two will always be question marks for me, anyway. Crawford may be too old to learn new tricks. But i think Barnes will find new life with Kerr.
Yep, more than motivation.

SurfCity

Well, I think it would be wrong to assume that there’s no benefit to him coaching summer league and that there’s nothing for him to learn. Like I said, We’ll see if he does or not.

rigged

The Santa Cruz team has Joe Alexander, a 2011 1st rd draft. He got injured and the W’s pick him up, rehab and on the way back as one of the high leaping PF I’ve ever seen.

NCDub

NYCDFA
Great balls of fire.
Wisdom is what I thought I’d gain as the price of ageing. Oh well.
NC is indeed, as Garrison kieler paraphrased…where everyone is tops.
I’m a New Yorker by birth then a Walnut Creeker for the Nellie years with good seats. Behind the bench with a few Nellie chats.
As far as NYC goes…I remember Nathan’s at the beach, great Sabrett hots & krout in Central Park, Lindy’s cheesecake with surly waitors, MSG @ 34th., Oyster Stew @ GCS and 5-cent subways…and best of all Duke Snider (Duke of Flatbush). Also loved the wooden coaster at Palisades Park…
Glad to have made your acquaintance friend.
GoDubs and Go Knicks here with Knickerbocker & Strummer.

KarlP

So here’s my quick contribution. This is how I think SK will approach Curry, the Warriors’ best player.

Premise: Curry committed too many careless turnovers, which may have cost the team some close games.

Possible reasons:

1. Curry was overplayed, and it was mental & physical fatigue that contributed to this (Coach’s fault)
2. Curry played in a less-than-ideal offensive system (Coach’s fault)
3. Curry manifested a careless attitude and lack of discipline (Player’s fault)

Possible solutions:

1. Make sure Curry has a solid backup, so he does not need to be overused, at least not on a regular basis. Question: Can Steve Blake be that backup, if properly used? If yes, include proper use of Blake in your system. If no, ask Myers to work on finding someone else.
2. Install a better offensive system.
3. Figure out how to instill the needed discipline, without breaking Curry’s spirit or limiting his creativeness so much that this, in itself, then becomes a weakness.

Then, repeat this analysis for each and every player.

Take Iguodala, our great conundrum this year. I have a feeling that Kerr will either develop some theory as to how to use him correctly and motivate him, or tell Myers that he can be included in a trade if needed, to accomplish some desired goal.

Anyone think I am way off base here?

Incredible

Rule #1: Get the team’s young superstar to like you.
CHECK.

nelliebiggestfan

the same question has been phrased in several ways. Can Kerr be the harda$$ coach he needs to be sometimes ? or Can he throw the high hard one ? The NBA is often described as a players league which means the players and not the coaches and management have the final say in things. This is true and I hope for Kerr’s sake, he understands that. Pop can yell at his players because the players (Duncan particularly) gave him permission to yell at them. Kerr’s challenge is to convince curry and the other players that he has a good plan for the future and that they should buy into it. If the players like Kerr and his plan they will then give him the authority to run the team. If Kerr is stupid and skips that vital first step of getting the players to buy in and give him pemission to run the team there will be huge problems when Kerr tries to be a harda$$ with the players. If Kerr thinks he already has all the authority he needs because he has friends in the front office, he is in big trouble.

sludge

Impressed by Joe Lacob. When he wants something he goes out gets it.
Good Hire/Bad Hire, who knows. Just like to see how aggressive he is at getting his man.
I hope they are as aggressive in getting the right staff of coaches and bench to help get that next title.

Go Warriors!

Believewhat

Tired, think Crawford will move on but got good reviews for his play playing for Brad Stevens and Celtics. Think NN does have enough athletism but he is slow in learning and adjusting to NBA game and need more attention from coaches. With draft pick this year, NN and OK are dubs draft picks, so they will get developmental minutes.

I like your list, but I’m not sure about what you are suggesting in terms of the way to approach him. They have already talked on the phone. I doubt that Kerr will just treat him like some college kid and lay out all his faults. That isn’t going to happen, and shouldn’t.
I would guess that Kerr will have some practices and these things will be addressed by the team as a whole.

NYCDubFanAtic

Wow, that’s a list of the true low-lights…well done. Except of course the Duke Snider reference; are you dating yourself? Because if you’re old enough to have seen Duke play then I must “bow down.”

As to Walnut Creek, we like to refer to it as “Walnut-less Creek-less,” in honor of NorCal real estate come-ons.

darkmark

Agreed, being friends with the FO isn’t enough. However, I have faith that Kerr will be able to gain the respect of our team. Time will tell.